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Little things Teddy does - am I just being over-worried and paranoid?

Teddy is now four months old (well tomorrow he is). He is a happy beautiful little boy, and from what I can tell, a healthy one too. He is growing up wonderfully, if we go to the vets for anything, they always weigh him, check his heart etc., and all is well at that side, He enjoys his meal times (can't eat enough), loves his walkies, playing in the garden, and is doing amazing well with all his ablutions training, etc., everything generally that I hoped for - and I love him very much...

But there are a few things I just wanted to pass by you. I hope I am just being paranoid here.

He has a mad 'two minutes' every day or so when he suddenly sets off at a pace and runs around and around the house super fast, giving little growls and barks. He only stops when we grab his attention, with a squeeky toy. He seems to be enjoying this, and I wouldn't ordinarily mention this, but there are other things I have noticed and it might be relevent.

When he wakes up, no matter whether it is morning, lunchtime or evening, he sits and flicks his ears with his paws a lot. He doesn't paw the air, he actually does flick his ears.

His eyes water a fair amount, I am always wiping them for him, would this have anything to do with it?

He does chew his back paws on a regular basis not for a long time, but regularly enough to notice.

He chases his tale every single day - today I filmed him going round and round in a perfect tight little circle for a whole minute because he had latched on to his tail with his mouth.

Im not 100% sure about this last one, as Teddy had his back to me when he was doing it, but it certainly looked to me like he was biting the air (fly catching?). When I asked my husband what Teddy was doing (He was at the other side of the room so could see from the front), my voice made him stop whatever it was and he didn't do it again.

He doesn't rub his face on the furniture or on the floor, and he doesnt fall over or bunny hop, and he doesn't make any wimpering sounds, or yelps or hide anywhere.

Am I being a bit worried over nothing? I know a lot of the signs of 'you know what' can all be normal things with a puppy, but equally I now know not to overlook anything, and to trust my maternal instincts, when I see things that just appear 'different'.

Ok Lynne let's go thur this one by one. Oh first let me tell you that I think all cavalier owners do this worry too much/not enough thing. We just have to.

The running around the house...Fletcher is a year old and still does this, sometimes alone sometimes with Mr. Monster (my 5 year old) either leading to following. I do think this is a play thing.

Waking and flicking his ears....I would not worry too much about that his hair is growing perhaps its at a length when it bugs him a bit after a good nap. If he was doing this a lot no matter if he just woke up or not I would have his hears checked. Do you use spaniel bowls? Fletcher hates having wet ear tips and the water bowl is the first place he goes after waking up. You could use wide short coffee mugs, they are cheaper and easier to find for sure.

Eyes watering...well a 4 month old puppy is teething and more eye yuckiness is normal. Just wipe with plain water a few times a day. I think this is completely normal.

The biting/chewing the paws...yeah that one is something to watch very carefully, and I would try to distract him from doing it. The next time your at the vet ask about that. Again perhaps this is a teething thing make sure you have plenty of good chews around.

Tail chasing.....Fletcher does this almost daily too. Now that he is a year old and his hair has grown so much that he normally catches it Unless he's doing it non stop I think this again is puppy play.

The biting at the air....I would also watch that carefully too but I would guess if it was serious he would do it more often. Fletcher likes to try to catch the normal household dust floating in the bright sunlight shining in the glass doors. He does not do it any other time unless he's laying in a sunny spot.

I'm sure other members would give you their opinions too. Its a balance between enjoy and worry. We just all love our cavaliers so much. I do however think a mother intuition is worth a million dollars but in this case enjoy your little man. You are doing great at watching him so closely....its just something we have to do.

Melissa
"If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."
-Roger Caras

Hi Melissa
Thank you so much for replying. After i had posted it, i re-read it again, and thought i sounded daft, so was i two minds whether to remove it. im glad i didnt because even just one voice can help steady those nerves so much.

Because megan came to us at 4 years old, all this puppyness is a wonderful thing yet so new to me.

ill continue to be vigilant and watch him but i will try to relax a little. I am loving every day with him.

About 80% of what is posted would be normal puppy stuff. The other 20% probably warrants a vet visit for normal puppy stuff.

Owners often call that racing around the puppy zoomies...

The things to watch are the pawing at ears and chewing on legs. Has a vet checked his ears? Puppies this age often are infested with ear mites. I would have your vet check him for that or a possible ear infection.

Chewing at legs can also be mites, a skin condition, fleas, allergies, all more likely than SM at this age. Again I would have a vet check him for these possibilities.

Tail chasing is common in puppies but can become an obsessive compulsive behaviour. Most puppies grow out of it and shouldn't be encouraged. Cavaliers have a higher rate of OCD issues than some other breeds. It is something to keep an eye on. You can google tail-chasing and get more info on how it is approached.

The eye watering seems to happen with puppies -- and then they tend to grow out of the worst of it. Seems to be connected to the overly large eyes.

In short there's nothing there I'd be concerned about as a sign of SM or major problems but you should get him to the vet to check his ears and check for mites, fleas, skin issues.

Thanks Karlin. He is on regular flea and mite treatment (his next one is actually this weekend), but I will definately take him up to see his favourite vet lady this weekend for a bit of a check. They like to see him, he can get weighed properly at the same time too, which will be interesting as he seems to grow before my eyes.

Oh the puppy zoomies - they are so funny to watch, and now atleast I can enjoy watching him doing it, as much as he does

Hahahaaaa Well I have a crazy dog AND a crazy 5 year old who act so much alike its insane wanna try that????? IF my house was "normal" I would be bored. Plus its more fun with a touch of crazy hanging around.

Melissa
"If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."
-Roger Caras

I love the word "puppy zoomies!". Last weekend when we had about an inch of snow settle, It was clean and white.... and then I let jazz into the garden - within a minute the entire garden was churned up - she ran around at 90 miles an hour, sticking her nose in the snow every so often and flicking it over her head - it was the funniest thing ever and was over far too quick for me to film it.. She had a great time